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Claire Miles | Passionate Educator. Lifelong Learner.
Transcript
Below, you will find a chronological list of courses that I took in my Master of Arts in Education (MAED) Program through Michigan State University. Included is the name of the course, the semester taken, the instructor(s), and a short description of what I learned in the course. My hope for this page is that you will be able to see the areas in which I have studied so that I may be a leader and an asset to your team of teachers. If you would like to learn more about each of these courses, please click the following link: MAED Courses.
TE= Teacher Education
CEP= Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education
ED= Education
Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practice 1
Instructors: Amy Ward and Dr. Stacey Pylman
TE 802
Fall 2015
In this class, we experienced how to engage students with literacy. For my main project, I sequenced out a comprehension unit which focused on using character traits and accountable talk.Hosting these discussions with my class allowed for authentic conversations revolving around literature, and created empathy in topics that my students might not have been exposed to otherwise.
Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practice 2
Instructors: Molly Barrett and Yu-Han Hung
TE 803
Spring 2016
Molly and Yu-Han led us through how to creatively put together unit plans for teaching Social Studies. These plans were not your mundane lessons which require reading out of a textbook. Instead, we were challenged to think above and beyond about local resources that would fully engage students with the Social Studies Curriculum. For my second grade class, I put together a unit on time traveling throughout our town, Grand Haven. Incorporated our local museum, and allowed students to create meaningful brochures to help educate the community on our town's unique history.
Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practice 3
Instructors: Tim Bennett
TE 804
Spring 2016
The focus of this class was on today's best practices for teaching science. Throughout the semester, we learned how to use the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to write learning goals and outline an EPE table. We then conducted pre-assessments in our individual classrooms, and used that data to create hands-on lesson plans. Finally, after working through the lessons with our classes, we analyzed the formative and summative assessments that we put together, and reflected on our own teaching practice.
Educational Inquiry
Instructors: Dr. Steven Weiland and Dr. Nathan Clason
ED 800
Fall 2018
This class was geared towards the history of education, an educational inquiry. We studied various well-known historical figures, as well as other people from around the world to hear about their educational experience. We then dove deeper into how this experience has changed overtime for many. As a final project, I wrote a reflection essay on what educational inquiry means, and how I find it most effective to consider how it differs amongst different groups of people.
Methods and Materials for Teaching Children's and Adolescent Literature
Instructors: Dr. Laura Apol
TE 849
Spring 2019
Dr. Apol introduced many different diverse types of literature to us throughout this class. We spent a great deal of time reading these novels, and analyzing the themes. We then discussed why it is so important to bring each of these unique themes in our classroom, and what some of the setbacks would be. Some of these themes included: immigration, LQBTQ+ communities, various races, and disabilities.
Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners
Instructors: Christina Maria Ponzio
TE 846
Summer 2019
Throughout this class, we read about today's best teaching reading practices. We studied McKenna and Stahl's cognitive model, and engaged in discussion about how to use it to identify areas of growth, and create future goals for literacy learners. Researching today's best practices allowed me to also work with a student who was a fluent reader, but struggled with comprehension. I created instructional goals and lesson plans for him, and then worked with him on three separate occasions to study the effectiveness of my teaching practices. We also used Google Classroom as a platform for this class which allowed me to gain proficiency, and consider it for my own future classroom use.
Writing Assessment and Instruction
Instructors: Raven Jones
TE 848
Summer 2019
This class covered the best practices for teaching writing. Included in this was how to use assessments to help young writers grow. We discussed how to inspire student's to write by giving them authentic experiences. We also discussed how overusing assessments could potentially discourage young writers. I learned how to teach and assess in beneficial ways using writing traits, self assessment, peer editing, and student-teacher conferences. Throughout this class, I created a lesson plan of a writing project geared towards third grade. This included specific assessments that I would use, as well as their rationales.
Elementary Reading Assessment and Instruction
Instructors: Blythe Anderson
TE 842
Fall 2019
This class focused on today's best practices in reading instruction. Part of this instruction includes different types of assessments that teachers can use to help drive their reading instruction. Throughout this class, I worked with a focal student in my class, and used these new assessments to create individual learning objectives for them. Then I used my knowledge of today's best teaching practices to instruct them in this area. I also participated in a book club which studied project based learning. This is a wonderful teaching style that fully engages students with authentic learning experiences.
Educating Students with Challenging Behavior
Instructors: Dr. Vasiliki Mousouli
CEP 832
Spring 2020
This class focused on managing today's toughest behaviors that one might see in the classroom. We discussed what these behaviors might look like, the cause for them, and then the best way to help these students. The biggest take away that I had was to always find the root of the problem. Throughout the class I worked with a focal student who struggled with impulsive behaviors. I then created a plan for him to check in with me and work towards points to help complete his work. I also developed weekly parent communication for accountability.
Capstone
Instructors: Dr. Matthew Koehler and Aric Gaunt
ED 870
Summer 2020
My time in the MAED program has come to an end. This final course gave me an opportunity to reflect on my classes and experiences that I worked incredibly hard on. I was able to build this online teaching portfolio for future employers to look at so that they could get a better idea about who I am as a teacher. It also gave me an opportunity to become proficient in building my own website on WIX. I am extremely proud of my portfolio here, and I hope that it gives future employers a really good sense of who I am as a passionate educator, and lifelong learner.